Without beating around the bush – the best way to build an email marketing list is to create an opt-in list. Before we go any further, it is best that I describe what an opt-in list really is: This is a mailing list that compels a user to actively agree to receive an email such as a newsletter.

This means that people who subscribe (opt-in) to your mailing list really do want to hear from you. What better target audience do you want?

Here are 3 crucial factors to consider when creating your opt-in email marketing list.

Step 1: Get a subscribe form on your website

One of the most obvious, but often overlooked ways of building an email marketing list (email database) is to have a subscribe function available on your website. This needs to be unmistakably clear on the page accompanied by a strong call to action (CTA) to persuade visitors to subscribe.

Ask the minimal information necessary. People don’t like to give away too much of their personal details and they don’t like long forms. The minimal info your form should request is an email address (thank you captain obvious!), but if you want to personalize your email campaign you’re going to need a field for the name too. Then again, each situation is different. You need to decide what’s right for your situation.

Step 2: Provide an Incentive For Subscribing

If you can convince your potential client to hand over their details, then the battle is half won. Along with a clear cal to action your website should clearly state the benefits for signing up. Consider offering free stuff – people love getting stuff for free. For example offer a free 30 day trial or a free test drive or free valuable information, etc.

One needs to track, analyze and optimize subscription forms to increase sign up conversion rates. The more convincing your call to action and the more attractive your offer is and the easier your form is to fill in – the more subscribers you’ll win.

Step 3: Turn On The SEO Heat

Once you have a subscribe form going and a solid offer to boot, then it is high time to start turning on the heat with regards to your SEO and SEM; this is to get targeted traffic to your website – The logical conclusion is that the more visitors you get, the more sign ups you’ll get and the better your online business will do. It’s a numbers game, pure and simple. But, take note, SEO is in itself not an overnight process and it will take many months of tweaking, feedback from the search engines, quality content and much more in order to create a true success story for your website.

The success of your email marketing depends on many factors. The quality of your opt-in list is surely one of them. And when you’ve finally obtained permission from people to talk to them, you’d better be sure your words are worth more than gold.

Yip, email marketing positively still rocks. It is definitely one of the most profitable online marketing tools today. It’s so easy to do, quick to produce and with the right strategy can yield the best return on investment compared to other online marketing tactics.

When targeted correctly, your email marketing campaign can deliver your marketing message to the ideal prospect in a timely manner – you can strike at the exact point in the selling cycle that you desire and gain high response rates from prospects that you want. It’s no mystery why Microsoft uses email marketing month after month, it must be because it really works! As you sit there reading this, discover 8 rocking reasons why you should invest in email marketing.

1. Reaching A Worldwide Audience Rocks

The walls of traditional marketing are null and void. If you have the kind of product and service suitable for a global audience then online marketing and especially email marketing is one of the best ways to reach your market. Emails can reach who you want, when you want and the way you want.

2. Interactivity Rocks

Utilize the power of rich, web-based media to create emails that grabs your target market by the collar and refuses to let go! Using well crafted call to actions and hyperlinks you could easily point prospects to landing pages on your website giving you even more opportunities to persuade and sell.

3. Personalize Your Emails – Now That Rocks

Email marketing software makes it really easy to personalize email campaigns. To increase your campaign response rates, include the recipients name in the subject area of the email and address them on their name in the email itself.

4. Instant Measurable Results Definitely Rocks

The measurement tools that today’s email software provides are awesome. You can actually see who opened their emails, how many emails were opened and what links were clicked. This information helps you gauge quickly what works and what doesn’t. Once you know this you can quickly adjust the next campaign for email marketing success.

5. Accurate Targeting Rocks

The best people to market to are people who want to hear from you. People who expressly gave you permission to communicate with them via email are a gold mine. If you don’t have an existing email marketing mailing list you can purchase a legitimate custom-built list and target prospects you may never before have reached. Although purchasing a mailing list is not always the best thing to do. It’s better to have list of prospects who gave you permission to talk to them.

6. Super Fast Responses Rocks

Cumbersome replies to direct mail, as well as slower responses are the order of the day – in the 80’s and 90’s at least. With email marketing you are able to see responses within minutes of sending out a campaign!

7. Email Marketing Is Quick and Easy – This always Rocks

With all the easy to use email marketing software available today you can create campaigns right there where you are sitting, right now. In the comfort of your own home you can create an entire email marketing campaign. No complex resources, no

wasted revenue and plenty of feedback are what you can expect to receive – if you do it right.

8. Email Marketing Ain’t Expensive – How Rocking Indeed?

Email marketing is way cheaper than traditional direct marketing (snail mail). Research indicates up 70% cheaper. What’s worse, is traditional direct marketing lacks the interactivity, fast response times and measurability that email marketing provides.

If you want to increase your revenue, measure your exact return on investment and build relationships with customers and prospects, then you’ll want to invest in email marketing. You can read more about doing email marketing right way on our website.

Don’t read this if you already have successful email marketing campaign going.

Do read this if you’re thinking about getting one going or just lacking the motivation to do it.

I have found that lack of discipline and procrastination are one of the biggest reasons why companies don’t use one of the most lucrative online marketing tactics available today.

So from my own experience here’s what I know works.

1. DO IT!

If you don’t your competition will sooner or later. Be the first, second or third but don’t be the last to get an email marketing campaign going in your industry.

Here’s some advice a client of mine recently imparted on me. He said; There are real smart, talented people (let’s call them super Joes) out there that never really achieve anything and there are average Joes who have become spectacularly rich. The difference between these people? Average Joe chose to do something and super Joe kept talking about doing something. So take irreversible action now and start planning your email marketing strategy.

2. Increase gain, decrease pain

If you want your audience to open up their email inbox to you then give them something to increase the gain and decrease the pain. No, don’t give them drugs! Give them something of value, for free. This can be anything from valuable useful inside information, special deals, free stuff, etc.

Email marketing is essentially a CRM tool (Customer Relationship Management) and the best way to maintain relationships is to give some love without expecting anything in return. So give something in your newsletters that your audience will appreciate and that’s possibly worth sharing with friends.

3. Do you have permission

Some mornings when I slide into my office chair to read my mail, I find that some random Joe is trying to tell me and sell me, right inside my inbox. Don’t these people know that this is my inbox!

Although spam is annoying I can maintain my composure, but there are people I know who get convulsions, spill their morning tea and go into epileptic verbal fits when they receive spam. I can’t stress this enough. Only send emails to people who have opted in to your mailing list. These are people who are giving you permission to communicate with them. It’s any marketer’s dream.